


Set Me Up

by malum23



Category: 1TEAM (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 05:41:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18654058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malum23/pseuds/malum23
Summary: A privileged rich boy meets a shy artist and learns that not everything he wants will be handed to him on a silver platter.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> ~this is just the prologue of this story, which is why it's so short!

"Did you know you're missing a fine arts credit, Mr. Lee?"

"Sports doesn't count as an art, Mrs. Kim?"

"I'm afraid not. You're going to need to sign up for one if you want to graduate this year."

Rubin sighed, leaning back on his chair, arms folded behind his head. "So what are my options? I can't play an instrument, I can't sing for shit and I just can't risk my social game by joining theater."

Mrs. Kim chuckled. "Well in that case, you're only option is to take an art class. I would recommend taking the beginner's course, so it won't be anything too difficult for you, and Mrs. Song is a great teacher."

Rubin nodded slowly, glancing up at the clock that hung high on the opposite side of the room. "Oh crap, I'm late for practice." He jumped up, grabbing the bulky gym bag he had thrown under his seat. "Can we talk some other time, Mrs. Kim?"

"I need a final decision from you now, Rubin, so I can notify Mrs. Song about the new student she'll be receiving." 

"I really gotta go, it's our last practice before our first season game and as captain I have to be there." He pouted at her, silently begging her to let him leave.

Mrs. Kim nodded, pulling several papers out of a manila folder and plucking a pen from a small grey tin that stood in the center of her desk. "I'm signing you up for her eighth period class. Your new schedule will be given to you in homeroom on Monday morning. You'll be starting the class that very day, are we clear?"

"Like crystal," Rubin pulled open the door, stepping out into the bustling hallway, "the clearest crystal you can find in the entire world." And with a cheeky smile, he slammed the door shut and snaked through the halls to his favorite place on Earth.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I set the story in Busan just because I couldn't imagine Seoul as a good setting for the story
> 
> *For reference, all of the boys are 17 except for Jinwoo, who is 19.

Rubin had been introduced to the riveting sport of volleyball at the age of seven, when his uncle had come into town and took him out for the day. He had driven them across town to a small recreation center that held only a musty gymnasium, a small area for weightlifting and a basketball court out back.

"Rubin, what is this?" His uncle held up a brown-colored ball, the company logo faint and unreadable.

"It's a ball, Uncle Lee."

He slapped it, threw it up in the air, and swung his arm with all his might. The ball flew across the gym, bouncing off of the wall and landing on the floor, slowly rolling back to where the two were standing. Uncle Lee picked it up and placed it in Rubin's hands. "This is more than a ball, nephew. This is what's gonna teach you all of the life lessons you don't learn sitting in wooden desks-discipline, honesty, friendship, love."

"What do you mean by that?"

"When I hit the ball, and it bounced off the wall, it came straight back with the same speed and force. You get what you give, Rubin. If you want someone to be honest with you, you must first be honest with them. If you want to be loved, you must open your heart to be loved in return. You'll understand more when you older, but don't forget that, okay?"

"Yes, Uncle Lee." Rubin remembers then spending the next three hours with his uncle learning everything there was to know about his new love and passion, falling asleep on the ride home with an exhausted smile etched across his face.

After that day, Rubin had lived, ate, slept and breathed volleyball. He practiced for hours on end, attending numerous camps, clinics and club tournaments to obtain more practice and eventually become one of the best players in his town. 

If he was being honest, to this day he had no idea what his uncle meant. As far as he knew, volleyball was one aspect of his life that had nothing to do with anything else. It didn't affect his social life, his family life, or his academics. His uncle was a drinker, he thought, and probably made that up as a dramatic ploy for Rubin to want to play the sport even more.

Now at 18, and with his uncle having passed away just last year, he was even more clueless about his spiel from years ago. Rubin had grown up to be a handsome young man who was popular amongst his classmates, but he had to admit he was one of the nicer popular kids that ruled his school. Either way, Rubin was sure it meant nothing and knew that he had everything pretty much figured out about himself and his life.

But, as most teenagers are wherever they reside, they think they know everything when they really know nothing at all.

                     -----------------------------

"Get up! Get up!"

"Hit it cross court, Moon!"

"Swing, swing!"

A whistle blew out sharply, and the six men huddled into the middle of the court, yelling at the top of their lungs. Moans were heard from across the net as the losers mulled off the court and started running laps around the gym. 

"Great job, boys, what a great way to end that set," Coach Choi, the head of the athletics department, let out a loud guffaw, "once you guys take down the net you can hit the lockers and get ready for class."

"Yes sir!" Everyone yelled in unison and then parted ways to begin cleaning off the gym floor. Rubin, who had been sitting on one of the benches, approached one of the boys who was cranking the net down from its poles.

"How's your thigh doing, Ru?"

"Fine, I think I just need to ice it. Wanna do an ice bath with me?"

Moon Jehyun, Rubin's best friend, smiled widely, his eyebrow perking up to a perfect arch. "You mean in the same bath as you? Oh, Ru, I'm sorry but you're not my type."

Rubin laughed, rolling his eyes at his remark. "No, separate baths. We couldn't even fit in one if we tried."

"Well, I mean, you would just lay on the bottom and I'd be on t-"

"Don't finish that," Rubin pushed his fingers up against his lips, "you're ridiculous sometimes." Jehyun laughed, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the locker room.

Jehyun and Rubin were born to be best friends. Their mom's had been close since their seventh year in school, and continued their friendship up to this very day. While Rubin's mom went into the criminal justice field, Jehyun's mom took the medical route and became a brain surgeon. Both bought houses right next to each other, with only a row of bushes separating them, and became pregnant with their first children within the same month.

Since emerging from the womb, the two boys did everything together- potty train, celebrate birthdays, learn how to drive; but most importantly, they both shared the same love for volleyball, their favorite activity to do together. Rubin especially loved the fact that no matter what happened in his life, Jehyun would always be beside him. Though they had such varying personalities compared to the other, it worked for them, and both loved the other as if they were blood.

Rubin decided to skip the ice bath due to time and headed straight to his locker, pulling out his clothes to change into for the school day. Although his parents insisted he wore only the best clothes, he preferred to keep his clothes minimal and simple: a plain black shirt, black skinny jeans, his favorite pair of Vans and a red flannel. He sprayed on some cologne, fixed up his hair in the mirror that hung on the locker door, and shut it close.

"Jehyun, the bell is gonna ring in two minutes."

"The bell doesn't dismiss me," the silver-haired boy scoffed, "I leave when I look so good I'd date myself." Today he had decided on a fluffy light blue sweater, ripped jeans, white Air Force Ones and loads of jewelry. Contrary to him, Jehyun was definitely one who loved to dress to impress, and hated being rushed when he was busy primping.

The bell rang, and Jehyun continued putting his earrings in, a bit slow for Rubin's liking. He sighed heavily, "You said you'd walk me to my art class, and it's all the way on the other side of the school."

"Last time I checked you're a grown ass man capable of moving your legs one in front of the other," Jehyun slammed his locker shut, "but I'm done now so shut up and let's go."

Exiting the locker room into the main halls of their school was always a highlight for the two boys. Boys didn't do much except for exchanging handshakes and greetings, but their female counterparts were completely different.  Girls immediately looked up from their phones and handheld mirrors to gawk at them as they made their way through the building, a few brave souls calling out their names with a small wave to follow. Being star volleyball players as well as coming from a rich family automatically deemed them as high school royalty, which to Rubin was a pretty cool perk.

"What is it with boobs that makes guys lose their sanity?" Jehyun grimaced when a girl wearing a very low cut shirt called out his name, waving so rapidly her breasts threatened to spill out from their minimal coverage. "It's literally two lumps of flesh."

"Well they must be more than that if boys lose their sanity almost everyday for them."

"You included," Jehyun scoffed. "Nothing about them fills my cup of chamomile tea."

Rubin snorted, moving closer to him to get out of the way of a herd of students. "I mean, yeah, don't you remember that you're gay?" One thing Rubin had always admired about Jehyun was how confident he was about everything, including his own sexuality. Luckily for him, his parents were very accepting of him when he came out just a few years prior, and it made Rubin happy to see his best friend be happy to be himself.

Jehyun gasped at him. "Am I? Damn, I completely forgot." He looked up at the room door signs that hung from the ceiling above them. "We're at your class, by the way."

Rubin sighed, peeping his head through the door to see about eight people scattered at the long wooden tables in the middle of the room. Different paintings, sketches, and colorful objects made the room look lively and inviting, which calmed Rubin's nerves down just a little. He looked back towards Jehyun, a small grimace on his face. "What if I don't like it in there?"

"I didn't walk all the way over here for you to get all scared and not go in, Ru. It's an art class, not an AA meeting. Just find a seat, do what the teacher asks, and be nice to the other students."

"Wow, great pep talk."

"Anytime, handsome," Jehyun winked playfully, "now I have to go to class myself so I'll see you later, okay? You got this!"

Rubin nodded, waving at his friend as he merged back into the busy hallway towards his geometry class. Once he couldn't see his tall figure anymore, he let out a big sigh and crept slowly into the room, praying he'd get through this class worry-free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! This is the first fanfic I've written on this site and the first one I've written in years, so I hope you guys enjoy! I would greatly appreciate you all leaving kudos and comments, but I'm more just doing this because I love to write ❤ thank you all!


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you Rubin?"

Rubin jumped at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder, turning around rapidly to be greeted to a petite woman smiling at him. She wore a simple white shirt tucked into paint-splattered overalls, her hair tied up into a messy bun. From the looks of it, she was definitely the art teacher.

"Yeah, are you Mrs. Song?" 

"That would be me," she shook his hand softly, "welcome to Introduction to Art. Before I get you situated, do you by chance do any art outside of school? Whether it be drawing, painting?"

"I do a little painting every once in a while, I don't think I'm that good at it, though."

Lie. Rubin, on top of his other talents, was a gifted artist. He was especially good at portraits, something he inherited from his dad's side of the family who were all in careers pertaining to the arts. Only Jehyun knew about his secret hobby, though, because he didn't think other people would find it cool, so up until now he kept it to himself.

"Well that's great! I'm glad you've had some kind of experience, so this class won't be so hard for you. Now class will start in a few minutes, so if you'd like you can sit right there," she pointed towards the back right corner of the room, "next to Sungho. He's a great artist, and I think the two of you would work well together."

Thanking her, Rubin made his way to his new designated spot. The few students who were already seated stared up at him, most likely surprised a guy with his high position was in a beginner's art class. Nervous yet somewhat flattered at the thought, he continued his was to the back of the room, plopping himself next to the stranger he was supposed to be accompanied by. 

The boy's head was down, his hoodie placed loosely atop his hair and his face dug deep into the fold of his arms. Soft snores could be heard from the all black figure, his back rising up and down at a slow rate. Rubin debated waking him up in his head, but once the bell rang and Mrs. Song began her introductions he thought it would just be better to wake him.

"Hey." 

He tapped his shoulder, but the boy didn't budge.

"Wake up, class has started already. Sungho, wake up."

With a forceful push to the shoulder, Sleeping Beauty jolted up, rubbing his eyes and emitting a soft yawn. Finally, he turned and made eye contact with Rubin, his eyes small and full of sleep. Right away he noticed his profound dimples that popped up when his lips stretched into a lazy smile. His cheeks were quite chubby, his skin clear and fair, his lips a nice shade of red but a tad swollen.

He must bite them quite a bit, Rubin thought, maybe he gets anxious a lot. Or maybe it's just a habit he ha-

"Are you the new student?" The boy's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah, that's me."

Sungho smiled shyly, sticking his hand out to shake Rubin's. "I'm Sungho. I mean, you probably already knew that since you were calling my name to wake me up, but yeah. I'm Sungho. Nice to meet you, um-"

"Rubin." 

"Rubin, like the sandwich?"

"No," Rubin scoffed, "I was named after my uncle."

"Oh, I didn't mean-I mean," Sungho blushed, embarrassed that his attempt at a joke completely failed. Slowly he turned his body towards the front of the room, his once chipper mood now thrown out of the window. Rubin eyed him closely, seeing his bottom lip fold in as he began biting down on it.

I was right. He gets anxious.

"Alright class, so for today's exercise we're going to paint ourselves using physical objects. Meaning, you will paint objects that you feel embody you as a person. For example, you could draw a tree or a leaf if you're passionate about nature. Whatever speaks to you will work."

"How many objects do we need to have?" 

"About three is good, but you could always have more. The canvas is big enough to fit quite a few, depending on how big you decide to paint each object. Are we all good, class?" Numerous agreements rang out around the class, then everyone shifted their attention to getting up and grabbing their supplies.

Rubin waited til majority of the students had sat down before walking over to the numerous rows of brushes and paints that were laid out on a counter. His eyes lit up seeing all of the different colored bottles of acrylic, his collection at home small compared to what was before him. Grabbing a clean palette, he went down the row and squeezed dollops of multiple colors until it was completely filled. Satisfied, he retreated towards the back of the class and sat down at an empty easel.

"You forgot a water cup." Rubin turned his head to see Sungho smiling sheepishly, holding out a red cup towards him. He took it, nodding at him and returning back to his painting. Classical musical was being played softly from Mrs. Song's laptop, and the room grew silent except for the strumming of violins. Rubin became lost in the atmosphere, allowing his mind to run blank and his hand to move across the canvas freely.

Sungho leaned back in his chair to look at Rubin's work after a few minutes of working. "You're really good," he whispered, "are you sure you belong in this class and not one of the higher level courses?"

Rubin didn't answer, continuing to paint and refocus back on the music playing. Sungho inched closer to him, thinking the slender boy hadn't heard him the first time.

"Are you still mad about the sandwich joke? I'm sorry if I upset you. I guess I'm not really the humorous type."

Rubin scoffed for the second time that class period, putting down his paint brush to look Sungho in the eye. "I've been hearing that joke for as long as I can remember, and I'm quite sick of it. So, yeah, your attempt at being humorous didn't work out in your favor. Now can I please get back to painting?"

Sungho shook his head frantically, muttering a quick apology before scooting back over to his easel. From the corner of his eye, Rubin could see him biting his lip yet again as he dipped his paintbrush into a deep wine red color.

Letting out a deep sigh, he dipped his brush into the black acrylic color and tried once again to finish his work. For the rest of class, the two boys said nothing to each other, and when the bell rang Rubin bolted out of the room to go meet up with Jehyun before his next class.

Not realizing Sungho had stayed behind to clean up both his and the popular kid's things.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------

 

"So, how was the art class? What did you guys do, paint a portrait of a naked model?" Jehyun plopped his lunch tray onto the table across from Rubin, taking a huge bite of his chocolate chip cookie. It was lunch already, his English and Chemistry class going by fast to his liking so he could now grill his stubborn friend on his new class.

Rubin shook his head, taking a bite of an apple. "No, we had to do something else. Nothing exciting." 

"Okay, okay..." Jehyun nodded his slowly, "any cute girls? Or boys? Actually just boys, I don't want to talk about girls."

"None for both, sadly. I got sat by this annoying kid who thought I was named after the ruben sandwich." Jehyun snorted, his slice of pizza halting in mid air as he tried to catch his breath from laughing. "You know I wasn't, and you've heard that joke so many times before."

Jehyun giggled. "Doesn't make it any less funnier, Ru. But the guy, who is he? What do we not like about him?"

Rubin shrugged. "He's just so...nice. I don't know, it's not anything bad to be nice but he's just...too nice. Like he still thinks babies come from storks."

"Wait, you're telling me they aren't delivered to your front door? Where the hell do they come from them?" Rubin laughed out loud, Jehyun joining in with him as they chuckled at his joke. If Rubin had to pick one thing he loved the most about his best friend, it was definitely his sense of humor and how carefree he was about everything. It always helped to alleviate any type of stressful state Rubin was in.

"Okay but seriously," Jehyun started, "give the boy the benefit of the doubt. Like you said, there's nothing wrong with him being such a nice guy, it's rare to find that nowadays. Just be nice in return, and who knows, you can make a new friend."

"I don't know about that. I kind of snapped at him because he kept trying to make conversation with me."

Jehyun sighed, shaking his head back and forth. "You," he sipped from his cup of lemonade, "need to quit being such an asshole."

"I didn't mean it!"

"Doesn't matter, he's probably sitting in the bathroom stalls crying his precious heart out.Now the next time you see this guy, apologize and be nice to him."

Rubin pursed his lips at him, moving his head back and forth as he contemplated what Jehyun had just said. "Fine," he said moments later, "I'll apologize to him."

"Good. And take pictures too, I want to see if he's cute."

"He's not cute." 

Jehyun got up from the table, dusting off crumbs from his sweater. "Well even if he's not cute he might have cute friends. So get to work, I'm lonely." And with that he winked at Rubin before sashaying to a nearby trash can, leaving Rubin to question why God gave him to be his best friend.


End file.
